Worth the Fight
Theme of the Week: Filling Your Family Role
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verse: Servants in the church are to be committed to their spouses, attentive to their own children (1 Timothy 3:12, The Message). Bonus Reading: 1 Timothy 3:1-5
In my twenties, I fell into the trap of being flattered by my followers' constant request for my presence. Any 15-minute slot they could get, they'd take. And I willingly gave it.
I woke up very slowly to the fact that nobody was going to fight for my family but me. I am not saying anything bad about my colleagues or the congregation I oversee. But I have to fight for time with my family. I have to fight to show up in decent emotional shape every time I walk through the front door of our home. I have to fight for family vacation time.
When that became clear, I decided to fight hard. In the early days, I found that to be a great dad, I needed to be home four nights a week. So six months out, I'd block four nights a week on my calendar for family time. People would vie for those evenings and I'd say, "I'm sorry, but I have a prior obligation."
My kids are both adults now. They love God, they love the church, they love being together as a family, and I love the fact that God has rewarded my fights this way. That first generation went pretty well, but I have a grandson now, and I am having to sign up for another season of fighting for him.
—Bill Hybels in Axiom
My Response: In what specific ways do I need to fight harder for my own family time?
Thought to Apply: The first and most important team in anyone's life is their family.—Pat Riley (American basketball coach)
Adapted from Axiom (Zondervan, 2008) by permission.
Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
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Lord, teach me to be a good steward of my family time and convict me when I am not.
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